The Magic Shop
by minda
Summary: **Last Chapter is up** AU. Sorato//"But I thought you didn't believe in love...." said Sora quickly. "You've changed my mind" he answered.
1. The Magic Shop

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon....*sigh*  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
He sat in class, fiddling with his pencil. His attention was completely focused on the girl in front of him...Mimi Tachiwaka. The most popular girl in school. A perfect match for him. The only problem was that Mimi was already dating someone...A person called Joe...Whatever. What really bothered him about it though was that they were rumoured to be 'in love'. Yeah right...  
  
  
  
Suddenly the ball rang, telling the students that school was over for the day. He watched as Mimi left the class and met Joe in the hallway, before walking hand in hand towards her locker. His expression changed from happiness that school was over to disgust. There was no such thing as 'love'. His parents had proved that to him after they had divorced.  
  
  
  
"Hey Matt! Are you coming to the coffee shop with us?" Matt turned from where he had been watching Mimi to stare at a group of cheerleaders, 7 or 8 of them, standing a little ways down the hallway. He smirked as he remembered he could have any one of them if he wanted. It was very soothing.  
  
  
  
"No, I think I'm gonna go straight home, work on some songs and stuff. See you guys tomorrow." They turned, disappointed, and walked back towards the girls bathroom- no doubt to touch up their make-up. Matt just began walking towards his own locker, very confidently.  
  
  
  
He remembered, amusingly, that he had already done every girl in the cheerleading squad (except Mimi). Actually, he had already dated most girls in the school. He was always the first to end a relationship but remembered not to kill all the girls' hopes. That was how he remained in all their good books and they remained wrapped around his little finger.  
  
  
  
"Hey man, you look a little depressed. Not still thinking about Mimi, are you?" Matt looked up to meet his friend Tai's eyes. Tai was just an inch taller than him, but it seemed more so becuase of his very-much-like-afro hair. He was the captain of Odaiba High's soccer team and without a doubt, the second most popular guy in school- after Matt of course.  
  
  
  
"Listen Tai, I told you not to talk about that around" Matt motioned around himself "people. And I am not still thinking about Her" He stopped at his locker and began fingering the combination with one hand, holding his books in the other. Girls were giving him googly-eyes as they walked by, he made it worse by smiling his killer ladies smile their way- they practically melted.  
  
  
  
"I can tell you're still thinking about her. Its written all across that pretty-boy face of yours. And I'll tell you once and for all- She is not gonna go out with you! She's got who she wants, and thats the end" Matt took a break from smiling to glare at his friend. He heard a 'click' and proceeded to open the locker and take out the books he needed for the night.  
  
  
  
"It is not the end! I'll find a way around that boyfriend of her's if its the last thing I do!" He began packing his bag, trying to ignore what Tai was saying.  
  
  
  
"Matt I will not let you hurt her! She's my friend and just another conquest for you. Can't you see that they really love each other? Or is your head that thick?" Matt got up then, and turned to face his friend. His dark blue eyes were cold with hate.  
  
  
  
"I have worked too hard on this reputation to let it be ruined by a girl who thinks she may be 'in love'! I told you, I'll find a way around that. Now leave me alone!" Matt turned back to his books and once they were all packed, he got up and left the school- narrowly avoiding the swarm of girls that came rushing up to his locker only moments later.  
  
  
  
Tai shook his head sadly and headed down the hall, in hopes to find Mimi and warn her before Matt did anything too drastic...  
  
  
  
~~~~Matt's appartement, one hour later~~~~  
  
  
  
"There has got to be something here!" yelled Matt. He was beyond frustration at this point and liable to damage anything that found itself in his path. At the moment, he was busy leafing through the yellow pages- in hopes of finding an answer to all of his problems.  
  
  
  
He dragged his finger along all the various adds in the 'M' section until something caught his eye. It was an add for a Magic Shop, but thats not what had caught his attention, it had been the notice under it saying 'We sell anything you need from Newt's eyes to Love potions'.  
  
  
  
A smile formed on his lips as he read it over. "Thats it! If nothing else worked, this has got to...Its my last chance" He quickly tore the page out and folded it so it could fit into his jacket's pocket. He jumped up from his position on the couch and practically ran towards the front door. He threw his shoes on and was on his way towards the Magic Shop within seconds.  
  
  
~~~~20 minutes later~~~~  
  
  
Matt had made two wrong turns and still couldn't find the shop. He was becoming ever the more irritated as he looked once more at the address in his hand. "How are you supposed to get business if the customers can't find the place!" he said angrily. A man walking by stopped and beckoned Matt over.  
  
  
  
"You wouldn't happen to be looking for the Magic Shop, would you?" asked the man.  
  
  
  
"How'd you guess? Are you looking for it too?" Matt stared at him curiously. He looked like your average middle-aged man, only his eyes were a strange crimson colour- very unusual.  
  
  
  
"I actually know where this shop is" said the man matter-of-factly "If you like, I could take you there right now. It should be closing soon, but I'm sure Sora wouldn't mind helping one more customer before dinner. Especially one as handsome as you." He smiled to himself. He obviously didn't think Matt was told that often.  
  
  
  
"Sure...Ummm, may I ask your name?" Matt began to follow the older man down a street that seemed to be nameless. he thought to himself.  
  
  
  
"Oh, how forgetful of me. My name is Ohayo Mitsumi. I am a co-owner of the shop you're looking for" he chuckled lighty to himself, as if he found that being a co-owner was funny. Matt began wondering if he still held all of his sanity when they reached an old-fashioned looking door with the sign 'Closed' on it in big red letters.  
  
  
  
Matt saw the man take out a very large key and unlock the door before opening it and walking inside, Matt following closely behind. They entered a musty smelling shop with stacks of things piled up all around them. It was dark and Matt could barely make out a figure standing behind what seemed to be a counter on the far side of the room. There was a little bit of light eminating from the glass on the door, but it was not enough to see much.  
  
  
  
"Ohayo, fancy seeing you here. Is there anything I can help you with?" Asked a voice from behind the counter. matt looked towards it once more and realized with much eye-strain that the person talking was a thin light red-haired girl with the same crimson eyes as Ohayo. If Matt didn't know better, he'd have said the voice was dripping with sarcasm- but who would be stupid enough to speak that way to their half-boss?  
  
  
  
"Oh Sora, always the charmer. Actually, I came for the cheque. I also brought a customer, I hope you don't mind." Ohayo sounded very pleasant, but of course who wouldn't if they were about to receive money. He paid no more attention to Matt and made his way to the back of the store where he opened a curtain and vanished from sight.  
  
  
  
Sora gritted her teeth and let out a cry of outrage before leaving her sanctuary behind the counter and making her way towards her customer. "Please, how may I help you?" She asked thourhg gritted teeth. Matt was taken aback as he saw her face clearly for the first time. He knew this girl, well, he had seen her in the halls when Tai had pointed her out. She was nick-named the 'Witch of Odaiba'. She wasn't that bad-looking either, but who in their right mind would want to date a witch?  
  
  
  
Sora repeated her question when Matt didn't answer. She looked at him closely and even though the light was dim, it was easy to tell that he was the most gorgeous guy she had ever laid eyes upon. He had deep blue eyes that could capture anyone and even though he was wearing a shirt, you could tell he was very well toned. Suddenly a slight recollection flashed through her mind as she said the name "Yamato Ishida?"  
  
  
  
Her voice brought him out of his tiny trance. "Thats me. I was wondering if you could supply me with a potion..." Sora cocked her head slightly. "Yamato Ishida believes in magic when just last year he was accusing me of being a witch while pretending to fly on one of the janitor's broomsticks?"  
  
  
  
Matt suddenly realized his mistake. he asked himself. "Listen, If you can't help me I can just take my business somewhere else" He made a move as if to turn around and walk straight out the door before Sora grabbed his arm. "No, no of course we have what you're looking for. What is it exactly?"  
  
  
  
Matt laughed silently at Sora's forwardness before explaining that he needed a potion to make a girl fall head over heels in love with him. Sora just eyed him curiously. "What do you need with a love potion? Don't you already have every girl in school after you?" Matt just looked at her gravely before answering with a simple 'No'.  
  
  
  
"Okay, before I give you this potion, just to make sure this isn't one of your stupid jokes, name one girl that hasn't fallen for you? If you can, I'll get the potion."  
  
  
  
"Well...you haven't fallen for me, have you?" Sora lifted an eyebrow "Oh alright, its for Mimi." Matt felt very disgruntled. Since when had girls been able to get whatever they wanted out of him. Sora's voice broke into his thoughts. "Doesn't Mimi already have a boyfriend?"  
  
  
  
Matt looked ready to kill. "So what?" He seethed. Sora just raised both eyebrows in answer but kept her mouth shut and turned towards one of the large piles on either side of the room. Matt found that expression very cute. She lifted a couple of boxes out of the way until she found what she was looking for and blew some dust of the lid. She then turned towards Matt once more, her eyes flashing warningly.  
  
  
  
"This is a very concentrated spell and hard to perform. Can you be sure that your house will remain calm and quiet for a couple of weeks while the spell is taking effect? Otherwise it won't work at all." Matt thought back to the nights when he'd been lonely and called a girl over for some 'fun'. He shook his head in answer to Sora's question.  
  
  
  
"Isn't there an easier spell? You know, like in the movies when you just have to slip the potion in a drink and the person with fall madly in love with you?" Sora laughed at this. "Don't be silly. If it really was that simple, there would be a lot of very spelled people out there."  
  
  
  
"Well, is there anywhere you can think of that I can keep the spell? Like an abandoned building or something?" He tried to keep his voice cool but he knew he was beginning to sound desperate.  
  
  
  
"Well, we sometimes let customers work their spells here and we help them with it, for extra cost of course" Matt quickly took out his wallet. "How much?" Sora laughed once again. Matt found himself liking the sound of it, kind of like windchimes.   
  
  
  
Once she'd quieted down she began thinking again. "Well, a love potion costs a lot on its own in addition to the three weeks it takes to keep it here...I'm guessing you only want to keep it going long enough to get with Mimi, then dump her the next day?" Matt nodded, Sora shook her head- still smiling. "Okay, that'll equal to about $275. Can you handle that?"  
  
  
  
Matt nodded and took out the money. His hand was shaking slightly and he was a bit nervous. It felt as if he were dealing with the dark arts. "Okay, well I'll take half the money now and you can give me the rest after the spell is over, how's that sound?" Matt divided the money and handed half to Sora. "Sounds good to me. When do we start?"  
  
  
  
Sora frowned slightly. "How about tomorrow- after school. Meet me here, I'll explain the spell to you and we can get started. It may take a couple days to get going, but you can wait a little while, right?" She smirked, Matt knew now that he must have sounded desperate. He nodded, a bit peeved at her, and turned to leave.  
  
  
  
"Oh, and by the way- my name's Sora" She called as he reached the antique door. "I know" was his only reply as he opened it and steeped through into the sunshine. He took one last look at the shop before turning a corner and heading home. I better not get lost tomorrow, who knows what Sora'll do to me if I'm late...  
  
  
  
~~~~~The End of Chapter #1~~~~~  
  
  
A/N: Ooooooo! How was it? I really like this idea, its just that I don't know much about witchcraft or anything so if you know anything that might be important, I'd love to know- Thanks! Remember to review and till next time - minda 


	2. The Rules

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon...*sigh*  
  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
  
He sighed restlessly, looking up at the clock as the seconds until school ended ticked away slowly. He glanced once more at the girl ahead of him, as he did everyday. His marks had been dropping drastically in math, but you could hardly blame him considering how distracting his latest conquest was.  
  
  
  
His thoughts drifted to the Magic Shop and the potion he had just purchased last night. He had considered what he had done yesterday carefully, and, after awhile, he realised why he felt so terrible about it all. It felt as if he were cheating. But nothing was more important than holding up his reputation, so he quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind.   
  
  
  
Matt's thought's shifted once again to the spell. He wondered how it would work, and what he might be made to do. He took a minute to consider if he had seen a sign on the counter saying 'Refunds accepted', just in case. But it wasn't a bad purchase, after all, he got to spend nights trying to uncover the mystery that was Sora.  
  
  
  
She had been invading his thoughts since he had left the Shop last night. Matt figured it was probably due to all the mystery surrounding her. He had always wanted to solve mysteries, like the famous 'Sherlock Homes', but had never come across any. Now was the perfect time to try out his skills, since no one seemed to know much about the crimson-eyed girl he had met last night.  
  
  
  
The bell sounded, breaking into his daydreams. He quickly packed up his books and left the class. He didn't look back at Mimi as she met Joe and they walked to her locker, hand in hand. The same cheerleaders as yesterday asked him whether he was doing anything later on, he replied 'yes' and they left disappointedly. Deja-vu was a big part of life here at Odaiba. Nothing seemed to change. Thats why a little bit of mystery was exciting to him.  
  
  
  
Matt silently counted down the seconds before Tai would tap him on the shoulder, attempting to surprise him. He was off by two. "What kept you Tai?" His friend looked at him questioningly before replying "Mr. Tustyui wanted to talk to me about the mark I got on my last geography quiz. Apparently, I seem to be failing his course."  
  
  
  
They walked the rest of the way to Matt's locker in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. When they reached their destination, Matt shifted his books to his other arm and began to fiddle with his lock. Tai broke the silence. "Hey Matt, you haven't done anything 'drastic' to get Mimi yet, have you?" Matt looked his friend up and down. Tai seemed very tense, so he replied 'no'.  
  
  
  
Tai let out the breath he had been keeping in it seemed since yesterday. "So, are you willing to consider giving up your little quest?" Matt answered 'no' to that as well before smiling to a group of girls walking past him down the hall. They giggled and slowed their pace a bit, but Matt ignored them. He didn't go any further than smiling- converstaions just weren't his forte.  
  
  
  
He suddenly felt an hand grip him by the arm and pull him up abruptly. He glared at Tai before following his friend's hand down the hall, where he pointed out something that seemed to catch everyone's attention. Sora was making her way past all the stares, seemingly oblivious to them. She moved her eyes to the person she had been looking for to make sure he knew she was there.  
  
  
  
Matt just stared dumbly at the girl nearing him, it was obvious her eyes had been seeking him out and she smirked as his mouth dropped and he stared at her wide-eyed. She was wearing an old black cloak and skirt that cut of just above her knees. She was wearing black high-heeled shoes and those criss-crossed kind of tights that all witches seem to wear in the movies. Her head was adorned with a black witch's hat and she seemed paler than yesterday, but that could just be caused by the dark purple eye shadow and lipstick.  
  
  
  
'She's proving a point to me' thought Matt, unaware of the whispers that were making their way all around him. He was waiting for the moment when she would stop and say 'hi' to him, he also knew he wouldn't be able to handle that when so many people were watching them. It just wouldn't fit his status if he acknowledged her. But Sora seemed to understand his turmoil and walk by him, saying nothing. Once she'd turned the corner, the hall began once again to buzz with activity and Matt returned to what he had been doing.  
  
  
  
"I always knew she was a witch..." stated Tai from somewhere above Matt's head. "What do you think that was about anyway, you know she just looked right at you?" Matt's cockiness, that had left him for the moment, returned full-force. "I guess even witches can't resist the Ishida charm, huh?" He punched Tai playfully in the shoulder before picking up his bag full of the books he would need that night.  
  
  
  
"Don't play dumb man. She looked right at you, thats not an everyday occurance at Odaiba. She usually never meets anyone's eyes. You should watch your back, she may just put you under a spell if you're not carefull" Matt laughed softly before whispering, "You don't know what you're talking about Tai." He left the way Sora had and walked through the doors seconds before his usual swarm of fans came up to his locker.  
  
  
  
Tai was left completely disgruntled. He had no clue what Matt was talking about, but he vowed to find out. Tai quickly headed towards his own locker as a thought struck him like lightning. He had to find Joe.  
  
  
  
~*~*~*~45 minutes later~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Matt had stopped off at home to drop his bag in the doorway before making his way towards where he thought the Magic Shop may be. The funny thing was though, he didn't remember at all where the nameless street had been, but something seemed to pull him in the right direction and he made it there within ten minutes.  
  
  
  
He looked through the antique door's glass window and a sharp feeling of dread suddenly filled him. What exactly were they going to have to do to make the spell work? He remembered a movie he had seen where the person performing the spell had had to cut off one of his own fingers as an ingredient for the potion. A sudden feeling of nausea filled him at the thought, but he opened the door nevertheless. It was still 5 minutes before closing time.  
  
  
  
He noticed Sora look up as he entered the cluttered store, but she remained silent. He wondered if it was because of how he had acted only an hour before. He also noticed Sora had changed out of the witch's costume to a normal long-sleeved blood red shirt and dark blue jeans. The shirt was tight and showed of her perfectly curved figure. Matt realized with pleasure that his eyes were beggining to adjust to the heavy darkness in the store.  
  
  
  
"Nice to see you again Matt" she said "I thought you would chiken out after I saw that look on your face when I walked down the hall" Sora smiled at the memory. Matt put on his most blank stare, hoping she wouldn't guess about the second thoughts he had had just a few moments before, at the door.  
  
  
  
When he said nothing, Sora spoke again. "I guess you must be excited to begin the spell, so if you'll just follow me to the back, we'll get started" She made her way to the back of the store and began to pull open the curtain.  
  
  
  
"B-but who's gonna watch the store while you're helping me?" Sora smiled lightly again. He was nervous. He didn't want to get stuck in something he'd be too scraed to finish. She knew she had guessed right. "Oh, I guess you haven't met Aiko. She'll look after things while I'm helping you." Sora pointed to a girl on Matt's left who seemed to appear from the shadows- he hadn't noticed her before.  
  
  
  
Matt remembered Aiko from his History class. She had long raven-black hair and a pale, oval face. Her eyes were dark, like coals, and held a lot of emotion. Matt briefly wondered if all witches were beautiful before Sora grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the curtain and then out of sight of the door.  
  
  
  
Matt found himself in a damp room that held about a hundred different sized candles, all lit, that were the only source of light. The room was small and he noticed many cobwebs in corners and attaching themselves to different pieces of furniture and boxes. He found, in the middle of the room, a star drawn on the ground with what seemed like chalk with candles on all five points.   
  
  
  
Sora followed his gaze and shook her head, "We won't be using the Star. This spell isn't so advanced as to need the help of the Sisters" Matt cocked his head curiously and was about to ask what she meant by that when Sora, still holding his arm, pulled him over to one of the larger tables covered in dust on the other side of the room.  
"We can work your spell here. Just give me a second to summon a protective charm before we begin. We don't want someone messing with it while we're half way through" Matt nodded silently. He suddenly felt very out of place as Sora talked about magic carelessly.  
  
  
  
It was then that he noticed all of the other jars and papers and boxes on the other tables. He reached out towards the nearest one and felt a tiny electric shock, as if there was some sort of force field guarding it. He cradled his hand to his chest and moved back to where Sora was standing, tapping her foot impatiently. "Are you ready to begin now?"  
  
  
  
"Are all those other things spells?" Matt motioned to the various tables around them. Sora nodded. "Are there any spells that need to use that Star thing?" Sora shook her head. "Trust me, if you've used that then you'll be far away from here by now" Matt just furrowed his brows curiously, but didn't tempt to ask why that was- he was too scared of what the answer may be.  
  
  
  
Sora simply crossed her arms impatiently and asked, "Are you ready to begin now?" Matt shook some questions out of his head and answered 'yes'. "Good, then sit down right here and we can get this over with" Matt paid no attention to her haste and sat down slowly, avoiding squashing the spider that had been crawling across his seat only moments before. This place reminded him of the movie where the guy had cut off his own finger.  
  
  
  
"Now, to make sure you understand and follow the rules, I'm going to give you a little threat. If you don't do exactly as I say, then we can and will hunt you down. I'm sure in time you'll come to realize what we're capable of" Sora's eyes changed and they flashed brilliantly- fire buring in their depths. Matt caught his breath and tried to listen to what Sora was saying but it was hard when she was staring at him so intensly.  
  
  
  
"Now, here are the rules. Number one: You are not to tell anyone you know where we are, alright? No one is to know where they can find this shop" Matt wondered why they had put the add in the Yellow pages if they didn't want to be found, but said nothing of it. Sora continued. "Number two: You may not come to this shop after hours, excepting when you are with me, of course. And rule number three: You are not to bring home any of the things we use for your little spell, understand." Matt nodded, mouth firmly shut in order to try and keep his questions to himself.  
  
  
  
"Okay then, do you have any questions?" Sora's eyes lost their fire and her mouth quirked up into a lopsided grin. Matt wondered if reading minds came with the entire 'Witch' package.  
  
  
  
"Actually now that you mention it..." he said, eyes narrowing in mock annoyance "...I do have a few things I'd like to ask. Why don't you want people coming to the shop? Isn't it bad business?"   
  
  
  
"Not if you're dealing with what we are. We really don't need the money anyway"  
  
  
  
"Okay, well why can't I come to the shop after hours? What if I forget something?"  
  
  
  
"Trust me, you'd rather not chance it" Matt nodded at this, accepting the answer. From what he had so far, this 'Witchcraft' stuff could be very dangerous and not something he would want to mess with.  
  
  
  
"Why can't I bring home some of the instructions for the spells, you know, so I can actually have an idea about what we're going to do?"  
  
  
  
Sora gave him a cocky grin. "Unless you want to take me home, I suggest you forget that thought. We do not write down the instructions for spells and you will forget everything that has happened after it is over" Matt didn't feel that he wanted to forget the things that would happen, or Sora and her fiery eyes for that matter, but he let it slide for now.  
  
  
  
"And last but not least..." he said "...who are 'We' exactly?" Matt noticed Sora's eyes cloud over as he said this.  
  
  
  
"I'm going to forget you asked that" she answered finally "Besides, you'll find out soon enough"  
  
  
  
"Yes, but I'll forget it just as soon" he said regretfully. A ghost of a smile traced itself on Sora's lips. "Don't get your hopes up" she countered. Matt shivered uncontrollably at the playfullness, yet seriousness, of her voice.  
  
  
  
"So where do we start?" he said finally, after recollecting himself. Sora just lifted a box of the floor, spoke a word Matt didn't understand, and put the box on the table. "What did you just say?" he asked curiously. He didn't think Sora was the kind of person that couldn't be trusted- but you never did know for certain.  
  
  
  
"I just disarmed the protective charm" she replied "You'll be able to touch the area around the table now without getting shocked. I'm sure that'll be a relief to you" Sora moved her eyes down to his hand, still being cradled to his chest, and back up to his eyes mischieviously. Matt quickly dropped his hand to his side after realizing what she was staring at and flushed slightly. 'Stop it Matt!' he scolded himself 'Since when have I been embarrassed in front of a girl before?' Sora didn't seem to notice his blush, or she didn't show it if she had.  
  
  
  
"Well, now's a good a time as any to start. Today we're just going to gather the ingredients, since we've already wasted enough time on the rules..." Sora flicked her eyes towards an old clock on the wall. It was in roman numerals and the glass was so misted that Matt had a hard time finding the hour and minute hands, let alone noticing the second hand and an even tinier one that seemed to be zooming around the clock at break-neck speed.  
  
  
  
"Whats that tiny little hand showing?" he asked curiously, still not taking his eyes of the clock. It was held up by a single rusted nail and he felt that if he removed his gaze, it would fall. "That little hand shows mili-seconds. Some spells- not ours -need perfect accuracy" He turned to Sora to find her staring longingly at the Star.  
  
  
  
"Well....weren't we starting...." At his voice, Sora snapped back to the present. Matt looked amusingly at her as she mumbled a 'yes' before walking over to some stacks of boxes on the other side of the room. 'She's only human...I don't know what I was so nervous for...' he thought, before walking over to see if she needed his help.  
  
  
  
Sora grabbed some boxes off the top of the pile. She had to stand on her tippy-toes to reach them, but they obviously weren't heavy because she carried five or six shoebox-sized boxes at the time. She set them all down on the table and beckoned Matt over. "Now here is what we need...."  
  
  
  
  
~~~~The End of Chapter 2~~~~  
  
  
A/N: How was that? I really need some ideas for the spell, so if you have any I'd love for you to share them with me. I'll give you full credit of course. Oh, and please remember to review! The more reviews I get the faster the chapters come out. Motivation is the key! Thanks- minda 


	3. Crimson Eyes

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon...*sigh*...Oh, and I also wanted to thank ~*Sora's twin*~ for her great ideas!  
  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
  
He stared at the jar as he felt his lunch begin to rise in his stomach. 'Why me, why me, why me...' was the only thought that remained running through his mind, except for that of utter disgust. Sora had just removed a can of pickled bats' eyes from one of the boxes. They smelt of a garbage dump and weren't much to look at either.  
  
  
  
Sora only watched Matt, quite amused. Matt was 'The Man' at school and it was extremely funny to watch as he almost lost his lunch over something that wasn't much worse than the food served in their cafeteria.  
  
  
  
"Are we really gonna need to use these?" asked Matt, almost horrified at the thought. She hadn't explained what they were going to need to do yet, but he had the distinct feeling it had something to do with 'swallowing' or, God forbid, 'chewing'.  
  
  
  
"Of course we're going to use them. They aren't only good for eating you know, they're very useful for many kinds of different spells too..." Matt clutched his stomach as his face began to turn an unhealthy shade of green. Sora could only laugh.  
  
  
  
"I'm glad to see someone thinks thats funny. Now could you please put those back in the box and we can move on" Sora was still smiling as she closed the lid to the first of the 5 boxes and placed it on the floor next to her. She then waited until Matt was closer to his normal colour before moving on, just in case.  
  
  
  
"Alright. Here we have caterpillar legs." She took the lid off another box so Matt could carefully peer inside. He quickly jumped back in surprise only a few seconds later. "Those things are still moving!" he shouted. "Of course they are" replied Sora. "They've just been harvested a few days ago." Matt's face paled a bit more, but he motioned for her to continue.  
  
  
  
She opened two more boxes, one containing a rabbit's ear and the other holding some snake venom. When Matt had asked if the venom was illegal, Sora just shrugged. "We don't use it as poison and no one would be able to steal it anyway" she had said. Matt hadn't a doubt about that.  
  
  
  
The last box held something that Sora was rather reluctant to open. She stared at Matt, sizing him up, and once again made sure that he would say nothing of any of this to no one. He had already decided not to tell anyone anyway because he didn't want people to know he, Matt Ishida, had needed a 'love potion' to get a girl.  
  
  
  
Sora opened the box slowly, wincing slightly as if this hurt her. 'What could be such a big secret anyway?' thought Matt wonderingly. He watched intently as the lid of the box was laid to one side and Sora picked something dark- greenish-blue out of it, holding it carefully in her hands.  
  
  
  
"Now I don't want you to get the wrong idea...but this is what you might call a 'dragon scale'." Matt's eyes widened to the size of grapefruits as she said this, his heart pounding loudly. He stared at the scale, it looked just like your ordinary lizards' scale except a bit bigger. "I-Is it...I mean...Are there really...?" stammered Matt, itching to touch the smooth piece of what seemed to be metal.  
  
  
  
"If your asking if there are real dragons, then I'd have to say no" Matt's hopes dropped slightly, but he still felt the need to touch it. "This is your ordinary piece of metal, only with some magical properties. We fill these metals with certain desires...Like greed for example. This one here is filled with longing and need. Because you are so anxious to get this over with and you don't want Mimi to completely fall in love with you anyway, we're going to take a little short cut."  
  
  
  
Matt was hardly listening to a word Sora said. He stared at the item in her hand and concentrated on it and it alone. Every fibre in his body screamed with the need to hold the treasure...And he was only a hair's breadth away when Sora must have realized what was happening and slid it back into the box. Matt felt himself relax slightly, but the feeling still lingered.  
  
  
  
"Matt...Matt...Are you listening to me? Matt!" said Sora sharply. He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, the dragon scale forgotten. "What?" he asked annoyed and a bit embarrased that she had caught him so unfocused.   
  
  
  
"I want you to swear to me that you will never, ever lay even just one finger on that scale. Do I make myself clear?" she snapped, hands clenched at her sides. "If you do touch it, I promise you, not even I could have given you a worse punishment" Matt only nodded in response, wondering what had been so special about it anyway. The effects wore off fast.  
  
  
  
Suddenly, a cold breeze flew through the room. Mr. Ohayo Mitsumi walked past the curtain moments later in a furious rush. It was as if he were a panther after his prey, unfortunately, that prey seemed have been Sora.  
  
  
  
"Sora! Did you know that check your mother gave me yesterday was from a non-existent bank account? How dare she make a fool of me! Well, no matter. She will pay...whether I have to go through you to get to her!" Ohayo sounded on the verge of madness as he yelled, his eyes glowing. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into the ferocity of them, but they were nothing compared to the fire Sora's eyes had shown Matt only a little while before.  
  
  
  
"Ohayo, please calm down." said Sora, a bit too sweetly. "We have a customer here and we wouldn't want to upset him, now would we?" Ohayo's eyes flicked quickly to Matt, who was standing to Sora's left. It seemed to be the first time he had noticed him. "Now would you please tell me what seems to be your problem?" asked Sora, still using that sugary-sweet tone of voice.   
  
  
  
Mr. Ohayo only sniffed indignantly and turned on his heel. He obviously didn't want Matt to hear anything else. "I'll talk to you tomorrow Sora...Or your mother. Whoever I come across first" Matt once again caught the blaze that ignited in Sora's eyes, much more spectacular than Ohayo's, who had seemed to have sensed it as well. 'Small wonder' thought Matt 'That stare heats the whole place up'  
  
  
  
But as they heard the door close behind the older man, and Sora turned once again towards her client, her eyes were already back to normal. Matt breathed a sigh of relief. He would hate to have that stare on himself, even if he did seem to be physically stronger than her.  
  
  
  
"So where were we?" asked Sora. She picked up the boxes from the floor and put them back onto the table before speaking some foreign word that Matt was determined to learn. It sounded like 'fumbuldgded' or something. This time when the word was spoken, however, a light blaze up around the objects on the table, slow enough for Matt to see but fast enough for him to question whether he had or not.  
  
  
  
"Matt, did you just see that?" Her other question was completely forgotten as she stared into his eyes searchingly. Matt had the feeling she already knew the answer. "Yes" he whispered, not quite sure if he had done the right thing by admitting he had.  
  
  
  
"Good, then my job'll be all the much easier!" she said happily, but Matt could sense something like hope spring into her voice. "So are we done here then...Or do you have any more of your questions?" Sora's mouth quirked up into a grin as she said this, eyes dancing. There must not be that many people that ask questions about the stuff that they deal with here...But Matt himself decided to accept the chance she had given him.  
  
  
  
"Actually, I would like to know about a couple things...un-related to the spell though..." his voice dropped off as he said this, knowing she would most likely refuse. But instead Sora took a seat on one of the old chairs near their table and gestured Matt to take the other. Matt smiled, but at the same time tried to remain discreet. He didn't want to hope for something and be terribly disapointed. Sora could always refuse to answer any of his questions.  
  
  
  
"Okay...where should I start?" Matt frowned slightly. He needed to know so much...But how could he ask it without Sora eventually catching on? He decided then that the simplest way would just be to come straight out with it....  
  
  
  
"Are you a witch? A real one, not fake like your supposed 'dragon scale'." He cocked his head curiously, trying to brace himself. Although she seemed to know a lot about spells, that didn't make her a real 'witch'and it didn't make those real 'spells'. She had, in fact, never even mentionned the word 'witch', and her little parade down the hall in the pointy hat and black cloak seemed more of a joke than anything else.  
  
  
  
Sora snorted, eyes crinkling in laughter. Matt thought it looked as if it were very hard for her to keep from bursting out into a fit of giggles right there, like most girls. But she managed to hold herself together long enough to say, "I should think that had been quite obvious". Matt smiled at this. She was more approachable when she was laughing and visably happy, not that she always seemed depressed otherwise, just very...serious.  
  
  
  
"Well, I thought you were, but you kept using 'we' and not 'us witches'...I guess I got kinda confused..." said Matt sheepishly, avoiding her eyes. 'Why am I so nervous?! This is ridiculous!' he cried to himself. His head snapped up, as if contradicting the nervousness he had felt only moments before. But as he did so, her eyes caught him, and held him. He felt naked under her gaze and could feel the heat rise to his cheeks. 'This is wrong...I shouldn't be...I can't be...There is no such thing!'  
  
  
  
Sora watched as Matt shook his head, clearing his thoughts. The intensity of the moment before had passed, Sora seemed unawares of Matt's sudden distress, just like he was oblivious of the now darker-reddish shade of her eyes. Sora seemed not to notice the change in her own appearance either though, and asked Matt if that were all he had wanted to know.  
  
  
  
"N-no, I still want to know more. Like who is Ohayo Mitsumi really? And why are his eyes the same colour as yours? Also, why do your eyes glow...Like there's fire in them or something when you have a lot of emotion running through you?" He considered his questions harmless, but as he leaned forward and spoke of the fire in her eyes, Sora couldn't help but blush lightly. After all, it wasn't everyday the hottest guy in Odaiba talked about her like...that.  
  
  
  
"Well, I can answer you this. Ohayo Mitsumi is the owner- or half-owner -of this shop. He is looking to be the full-time owner, because he doesn't like how we run the business. Hiding from the public and all. He's the one that put that article in the yellow-pages, the one that brought you to us. Anyway, he figures that if he can marry my mother, he can own the shop entirely. The problem is my mom doesn't seem to see that thats what he's really after."  
  
  
  
Matt took this all in, feeding his curiousity. An understanding donned on him as she told him about the add. 'So that explains it! They hadn't wanted too many customers, but obviously Mitsumi's in it all for the money...But that also means that I wasn't wanted here, that they didn't need to help me...' His thoughts wandered, but as he remembered the way Sora had stopped him from leaving, he felt slightly reassured- even though she may have only stopped him from spreading the word around that there was a magic shop.  
  
  
  
Sora waited for Matt to snap back to reality before continuing answering his onslaught of questions. She hoped he wouldn't get too curious for his own good...She noticed Matt look up at her and she began talking once more.   
  
  
  
"Now let's see...Oh yes, eyes. Well, when you're a witch..." she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye to notice him shudder slightly before finishing her explanation "...you have power stored in you. A way to release that power, let it flow through you so you can do magic, is to open your eyes to it. I have fire, as you so kindly put it, in my eyes when I have a build up of emotions because its a way to vent them and the magic that comes with them. It also works well to threaten people, like Mitsumi."  
  
  
  
Matt stared at her in wonder. She knew so much about something he had just realised existed only yesterday. He gripped the edge of his seat until his knuckles were white, it was a way to let go of the fear that had built up inside him during only a short time. He remembered the glow in Ohayo's eyes compared to the blaze in Sora's, and suddenly began to understand why he disliked her so much- she must be more powerful than him.  
  
  
  
"But Ohayo's eyes glowed, like yours, and men can't be witches...or can they?" The question seemed so utterly stupid that he had to force it out of himself, but he had to know for sure. Still, the answer surprised him.  
  
  
  
"Of course they can" replied Sora, it seemed as if she were explaining this to a two-year old. "What you know is all the stuff you get from watching movies. The only reason they didn't make men witches in those 'classic' films is because they had never seen one, a man witch I mean. Women used to be abused in the olden days, they let their power go more freely- unlike the men who could hide it well. Nowadays though, we all know enough to keep our magic a secret."  
  
  
  
"You still haven't answered my question about why your's and Ohayo's eyes are the same colour." stated Matt stubornly.   
  
  
  
"And I'm not going to...but I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. I just don't think you'd be able to handle the answer yet-"  
  
  
  
"What do you mean 'I won't be able to handle it'? Don't you think that if I weren't able to 'handle it', I would have lost it by now? Or do you have that little faith in me?" He looked at her, determination clear in his dark blue eyes. She knew he wouldn't give up his search until he knew.  
  
  
  
"Okay, if you're sure...just don't act different towards me. Everyone always does. Aiko did when she found out, so I'll only tell you on one condition: you don't get nervous around me or scared or anything, got it?" Matt nodded soberly, even while they both knew it was an empty threat.  
  
  
  
"What is it? Is Ohayo like your father or something?" Thats what usually happened in the movies. 'God I watch a lot of those...' thought Matt suddenly, then returned to the present to place his full attention on Sora- something he hardly did for anyone.  
  
  
  
"Of course he isn't my father! That would be simply....yuck!" Sora shivered violently before going on "Ohayo and I have the same eye colour because we're at the same level." When she saw Matt's questionning glance, she started explaining once again.  
  
  
  
"Okay, you know how they have different coloured belts for the different levels in karate and stuff? Well its the same for witches, except we have different coloured eyes and the colours represent different levels than the karate colours, for example black is a beginner. Like Aiko." Matt nodded. "Well, there are only 6 levels in witchcraft"  
  
  
  
"So what level are you?" asked Matt, obviously very interested in how powerful the person helping him make the potion was. Sora grimaced at his enthusiasm.  
  
  
  
"Well, like I said, black is number one, brown number two, green or hazel is number three, blue is number four, silver is number five and crimson is number six" Matt stared straight at Sora's eyes, he could have been looking through them for all they knew because he didn't speak another word until about ten minutes later.  
  
  
  
"Aren't there any other levels above yours? I mean, you can't have reached your limit...can you?" Sora laughed softly. She had been so worried that he would have fainted, or at least run out of the shop screaming for dear life as so many others had done- but no, he had way too much enthusiasm to be put off by that.  
  
  
  
"Well, the most advanced witch in the world is Crimson- I'm sure you would consider her eyes like volcanoes" Matt flushed lightly but continued listening "There is supposed to be a level after Crimson, but no one has reached it since well before the Iron Age. They say it has to do with feelings...Something most witches don't believe in, but I do. I think that true power can only be realized when you join with another...love another, and not like mother-daughter love, I mean the other kind...you know" She eyed Matt closely, waiting to see his reaction.  
  
  
  
"I don't believe in that kind of love. There is no such thing, there can't be...Otherwise my parents would still be mar-" Matt was quickly cut off as the clock on the wall made a sound quite like that of the bells of Notre Dame. Matt had to cover his ears, afraid he'd go deaf. When the clock finally stopped however, his ears were still ringing.  
  
  
  
"Oh, you stayed later than you should have...Its already seven...Hurry, get out of the shop fast, They should be here any minute." Before Matt could protest, or even ask who 'They' were, he was pushed by Sora past the curtain, all of the stacked boxes and the counter, and out the door- which was quickly shut behind him. He looked back through the glass, but the shop was even darker inside than it was out- if that were possible.  
  
  
  
'How did I get in this deep?' thought Matt, furious at his curiousity and need to know. 'All I need to do is mind my own business, figure out the spell to make Mimi mine, and thats it...I'll forget everything that has to do with all of this and go back to my normal life...' The thought wasn't as reassuring as he had hoped it would be, but that was only because behind every thought and feeling, there were a pair of crimson eyes- watching, and judging, him.  
  
  
  
~~~~~The End of Chapter#3~~~~~  
  
  
A/N: I hope you liked that! It took me so long. Oh, and I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes- I was in a rush. Anyway, please review and send in any ideas you may have (you'll get full credit). Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster the chapters come out...its a strange world...So till next time - minda 


	4. Purple Flames

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon....*sigh*....  
  
  
The Magic Box  
  
  
  
He felt his pulse quicken as he watched her pull out the ingredients she had introduced to him only yesterday. This was it. This was the beginning to the spell that would seal his popularity. He felt excited, nervous, scared, worried...all at the same time. He knew that after the spell had begun, he couldn't back out of it- thats what scared and excited him. This was the biggest thing to happen to his life since he spoke his first words and every part, every fibre of him felt that.  
  
  
  
He quickly turned his head to the clock on the wall. It was 4 o'clock. He then turned back towards Sora to find her staring at him intently- he felt his palms go sweaty. "Nervous?" she asked. He could only nod. "Don't worry about it. I've done this spell so many times...I bet half the people living here are only married because of me."  
  
  
  
"You really go that far? You make people love other people enough to want to marry them, even if they didn't like the person at all to begin with- just so one of the people in the relationship can be happy?" Sora just shook her head, laughing lightly. "Do you really think I'd be that mean?" she asked curiously, beginning to lift the lid to the dragon scale box that was on the table next to her- but still looking at Matt who stood before her.  
  
  
  
"Well...no. I don't think you could be that mean. You don't strike me as that type, but isn't making people love people they normally wouldn't love considered a bit...cruel?" he talked quietly, as if regretting every word he said. He was almost certain that Sora would give him one of her 'higher-being' explanations that made him feel as if he knew nothing at all about anything.   
  
  
  
Sora just cocked her head, amused. "Is this some kind of excuse to get out of this spell? Because you just need to say the words and you can leave and forget everything thats happened here...." She watched, smile growing, as Matt shook his head furiously.  
  
  
  
"What I'm talking about has nothing to do with me. I don't want to make Mimi love me...Just want me for one night. There isn't anything very wrong about that...is there?" Even as he spoke the words, he knew what he was saying was just some hollow lie to make himself feel better. Sora seemed to sense it too, and decided to elaborate on it just a bit more.  
  
  
  
"But Matt, don't you understand?" Matt sighed inwardly- this sounded like the beginning to one of her long explanations "By making someone love someone else, I'm making them happy in a way. Of course I make sure the person making the spell loves the other person enough to die for them before I do anything though, so the person being spelled won't be hurt becuase the other person's feelings have changed. It is wrong to play with people's feelings, but no one is unhappy after the spell is over"  
  
  
  
Matt just nodded at this absently. It was easier to just let Sora talk and not listen than interrupt her. That was one of the first things he had noticed when he had met her. Sora continued, " What you're doing is much worse than that. You want to make Mimi need you for one night just so you can remain popular in everyone's eyes. Even if it means ruining the perfect relationship she already has with Joe."  
  
  
  
Matt's voice caught in his throat. She had made him sound more guilty than he actually felt, something no one had been able to do for a long time. He looked down at the floor and his hands, that had been crossed over his chest, dropped to his sides.  
  
  
  
"Oh come on Matt, don't act so sulky. You hear things that should make you guilty everyday, don't start acting like it now" Sora was convinced that he was just messing with her head. What could she possibly say to make Matt feel so low? But when he looked up and his eyes met hers, she knew she was wrong.  
  
  
  
"I didn't know you -or everyone- thought so badly of me. Do you think I really should feel so guilty?" He looked pleadingly at Sora, willing her to say something nice...Something to make him feel better. But that wasn't her style.  
  
  
  
'How did this turn into a plead for forgiveness?' Sora questionned herself, a bit annoyed at the waste of their precious time. 'But I guess Matt was bound to break down sooner or later....Its just too bad that its sooner' She looked at him curiously once more, to make sure he wasn't faking any of this for the attention, before making her way over to him and awkwardly placing her arm around his shoulders.  
  
  
  
Her action comforted Matt more than he would have liked, but he said nothing of it. Sora led him to one of the chairs near their table and sat him down there, never once lifting her arm. They stayed in silence for the next few minutes, only because neither could find the right things to say. Sora could hear the minutes slowly ticking away, but right now she chose to ignore them.  
  
  
  
Matt was the first to break their contact, only because he felt as if he would drown in her scent if he didn't do something soon. He noticed Sora shake her head slightly, clearing her thoughts, before asking if he were going to be alright to do the spell.  
  
  
  
"Ya, I'm good. I guess that was just one of my 'moments of weakness'..." Matt shifted his gaze towards the boxes on the table, only to avoid Sora's penetrating eyes. He ran a hand over all of the boxes and stopped on the one with all the caterpillar legs- he could feel little vibrations coming from it. "So are you gonna explain what we have to do or what?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"...Oh ya! Okay....I'm assuming you have something of Mimi's with you?" Matt nodded absently, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bright pink piece of paper with a few words scribbled quickly onto it. Sora read the messy note, but made no comment. The note read, 'Matt give up already. I'm not gonna sleep with you just so you can hold onto your precious reputation. I don't care how important it is to you, I don't care about you! Just stop following me around!!!'  
  
  
  
Matt then watched as Sora drew out a small cauldron, seemingly from nowhere, and place it on their table- the protection spell had already been disengaged. He forgot everything around him and just concentrated on the present. He was still touching the caterpillar leg box as the vibrations began to grow in strength. He suddenly started to forget the present along with the past.  
  
  
  
Sora was oblivious to his dilenma however, she began chanting the spell that would open their link to the magic that was needed. The fire in her eyes was blazing and everything but the spell had left her mind. This lasted about another five minutes, and when she came out of her trance she was in time to see Matt's eyes roll back in his head and his knees give way for him to fall straight to the ground.  
  
  
  
She ran towards him instantly and propped his head up on her bended knees before removing the hand that was still holding the caterpillar leg box. Matt's breath was coming out in shallow gasps and his eyes were still closed. Sora bent her head so that it was only inches from Matt's face and began frantically whispering his name. She didn't know what else to do other than pray it wasn't too late.  
  
  
  
Matt's eyes fluttered open seconds after he heard a name for the third time and met Sora's eyes, brimming with relief. Sora was holding Matt's head firmly between both of her hands. "Never do that again!" she whispered huskily, her throat felt strangely raw at that moment.  
  
  
  
Matt said nothing to this as his memories were flooding back to him and he really had no strength to pay attention to anything at the moment. After about 10 minutes straight of forgotten memories comming back to him though, he had enough of himself back that he could clearly remember what had happened and who was watching him worriedly from above. "How did that happen?" he asked, lifting his hand to rub his head. Sora took this as a sign and let him go reluctantly. She sat up next to him and began to explain.  
  
  
  
"You were holding the caterpillar box. You lost all of your memories. You see, every living thing in this world is a kind of symbol that represents something in magic. If you touch something that has been concentrated magically on something, than you'll feel the effects a hundred times more than you would normally."  
  
  
  
Matt listened to all this quietly. As much as he hated how Sora made him feel inferior while explaining things, he still wanted to know about the things she explained more. "So every living thing in this world is a symbol that represents feelings and emotions and you just have to pump it with magic to make it work for spells? Then what are the caterpillar legs representing? And why did you warn me about touching the dragon scale and not everything else?"  
  
  
  
"Well, the dragon scale is an even more concentrated element. You just have to touch it once and just for half a second for you to be trapped forever. It takes the other things much longer to work and I just figured I'd be able to stop you before it got too serious. I guess I was wrong....Anyway, the caterpillar legs represent forgetting."  
  
  
  
Matt considered what she had said and suddenly felt more aware of everything around him, from the spiders that were crawling all around the room to Sora, who was sitting on his left and staring at him intently. He looked at her and the first thing he noticed was the worry etched on her face. He smiled at her and placed a hand on her arm. "I'm gonna be okay. Are you that worried about me?" Sora just laughed and helped him get up.  
  
  
  
"I can't believe I'm even getting along with you! When you first came through the door, I felt like throwing you back out after Ohayo." Matt frowned slightly at this revelation and asked her seriously, "But you don't want to throw me out now, do you? After all the trouble I've caused..."  
  
  
  
Sora just smiled and answered him sincerely, "At first I just thought you were a stuck-up snob, but now I see you more as a friend than anything else. And you haven't caused any trouble anyway, those were just daily happenings in the life of Sora Takenouchi" Matt had to smile at this. It was the first time he could actually say that he had a girlfriend that he hadn't slept with.  
  
  
  
"So let's get on with it. What's the next step for the spell?" he asked while clapping his hands together as a sign that he was ready to start. They both looked towards the cauldron that had been momentarily forgotten and Sora got up and walked towards it slowly. Once she was about 2 feet away, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Blazius" she whispered.  
  
  
  
Matt watched as a purple flame shot up from inside the cauldron and sprouted into a hole group of tiny purple flames, each reaching up about half a foot. He didn't feel as surprised as you normally would have after you've seen purple fire shoot up from a cauldron, and this made him feel proud of himself. He was finally getting used to magic.  
  
  
  
"Alright" gasped Sora, breathless "Now lets start to add the ingredients" Matt shot her a worried glance before lifting the lid of one of the boxes and handing it to Sora. "Are you alright?" he asked "You seem a bit...tired" Sora just shrugged off his question and pulled out the rabbit's ear from the box he was holding. She threw it into the fire and, to Matt's utter astonishement, the fire just held it above the cauldron, flames flickering all around it.  
  
  
  
Sora stared at the fire, eyes beginning to fill with its flames. As she spoke, Matt handed her different ingredients and watched, silently awed, as she threw them into the fire and they floated in its flames, weightless. She spoke everytime something knew was added to the flames and everytime she did, the fire would grow as if she were feeding it wood and bright purple sparks would fly in all directions.  
  
  
  
It seemed to take longer than Matt realized and when they had finished, Aiko moved the curtain that was used as a door and peered in. She noticed Sora and her eyes grew wider. "Sora!" she yelped, before rushing over to her friend. "I told you not to do any more spells today, you've already gone over even your capacity! Now look what you've done to yourself..."  
  
  
  
Matt had been watching as Aiko had rushed over to Sora, obviously angry yet worried at the same time. Matt wondered what she was talking about when she said Sora had already gone over her capacity, but decided that it was best to stay quiet for the moment as the other girl seemed to be busy voicing her discontent. Sora just stood there, looking down at the floor. Matt couldn't see her eyes, but somehow he knew they would be blank and incomplete.  
  
  
  
"...told you to save this spell for tomorrow, but no, you had to help this..." She turned her head over to Matt and looked him up and down before turning back to Sora. "....baka. Oh, Sora...Why do you have to be so stubborn!"   
  
  
  
Aiko then moved Sora into a chair and stood before her, putting two of her fingers on Sora's forehead and breathing deeply. As she released the breath, sparks seemed to shoot from her hand to Sora. After the breath was completely released, Sora was glowing a dark purple- almost black -and Aiko herself seemed a bit drained of energy.  
  
  
  
"Thank you Aiko. I really appreciate that." Sora got up and stretched, rejuvinated. The dark purple glow was slowly fading from her. She then turned back towards the table and spoke the word that sent the protection spell in action. Matt was still standing there, not wanting to interrupt anything but feeling more uncomfortable every second. He felt as if Aiko blamed him for making Sora loose her energy and, to tell the truth, he felt he had as well.  
  
  
  
"Matt, its almost six-thirty, about time for you to go?" Matt nodded as Sora spoke, still feeling a bit guilty. "Oh, and you don't have to come back for another week if you don't want to. I can handle the spell now without your help but I will need to see you in exactly one week, alright? That'll be the last step and I need you to help me perform it"  
  
  
  
Matt looked up to meet Sora's eyes, which were a bit more black than they had been last time he had seen them. He then realized what had happened: Aiko had given some of her energy to Sora, but doing so had given her some of Aiko's traits- thats why she was being so...blunt.  
  
  
  
"I guess I'll see you around then Aiko....Sora..." said Matt as he nodded to them both and walked out of the musty smelling room to the main one and then to the door, almost crashing into Ohayo Mitsumi on the way. The man just looked down at Matt furiously and brushed past him and into the back room where Sora and Aiko were without saying anything.   
  
  
  
Matt then heard him shout something, presumably to Sora, as he opened the door and walked out, but it closed before he had time to hear Sora's voice counter him using as much anger as Ohayo himself had spoken with.  
  
  
  
Matt had the feeling that their eyes would be blazing with fire by now, and he hoped as well that he hadn't made Sora's only way of threatening him loose its sting because she had concentrated all of her energy to help him....  
  
  
  
~~~~The End of Chapter #4~~~~  
  
  
A/N: I didn't really like that chapter much...probably 'cause I was half asleep while I wrote it. Oh well, the next one will be better- I'm sure of it. I'm also hoping that this won't be more than 7 chapters long...but I seem to drag things out. Anyway, please review and critisize so I know what to do and not do next time and if anyone has any ideas, I wouldn't mind some of those either. Also remember to look out for the next chapter and till then - minda 


	5. Love?

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon...*sigh*...  
  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you gonna eat that Matt, or can I have the pleasure?" asked Taichi, poking at Matt's lunch tray with his fork.  
  
  
  
  
  
Matt had been completely subdued in thought as Tai asked this, and still was when his friend, tired of asking, reached out and took Matt's tray of food and began eating from it. Actually, Matt had been unusually quiet all week, and seemed even more so today. Tai had the idea it had something to do with Mimi, and a pretty good clue as to how right he really was.  
  
  
  
  
  
Matt was still staring straight ahead of him and not speaking when Tai finished eating. Tai noticed his friends' eyes seemed glazed over and were whirling with emotions he thought Matt had never felt before in his life, nor had wanted to.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Matt...I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me truthfully, okay? None of your macho crap or anything- this is too important. Alright?" Tai watched as Matt's expression remained bland. He had had enough of this! Matt hadn't spoken one word to him that entire week, with the exception of 'hey'. It was time to find out what this was all about.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Matt, look at me! I want to know whats up with you! Matt!" Tai's sudden outburst caught the attention of the few students seated around their table in the school's cafeteria, but upon recieving an icy cold glare from Tai, they quickly went back to their own business. Tai himself decided it was time for some drastic measures, seeing as Matt wasn't responding to the yelling.  
  
  
  
  
  
"OWW! Man, what did you do that for!" Tai quickly sat back down into his seat, relief-filled eyes watching his friend rub the place on his arm where he had been pinched, hard. "Glad to have you back here on earth Matt. Now will you please tell me whats wrong." Matt immediately opened his mouth in protest "And don't say its nothing" Matt's mouth closed quickly after that, eyes cast downwards- towards his empty tray.  
  
  
  
  
  
Matt stared at the empty tray for a few moments, looking for the best way to change the subject. He heard his stomach growl and turned to look up at Tai, testing his acting skills like never before. "Did you eat...-"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, don't even try to change the subject buddy! I'm going to find out whats going on whether you want to cooperate or not. And by the way, yes I did eat your lunch" Matt shook his head, clearing the thoughts that were forming in his mind. He had to find a story that would satisfy Tai and yet not be a complete lie. With all his bad-boy image, Matt still found it hard to lie to anyone- especially his best friend.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well, are you gonna talk freely or am I gonna have to beat it out of you?" Tai's eyes carried a ferocity that Matt had only seen a couple of unfortunate times before. He cleared his throat and began to talk "I'm not going to tell you if you threaten me Taichi. Just give me time."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sorry, but you ran out of that yesterday Matt. Now tell me, does this have something to do with Mimi? Are you...Could you be...I don't know...In love with her?" The question seemed to linger in the air as Matt found himself reaching for words once again.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Of course I'm not in love...Unless being in love means that my stomach flip-flops every time I'm around someone, or that whenever I think about that person, my hands go all sweaty. Or even if..." Matt's voice quickly trailed off as he realized what he had just said. Those were not the words his mind had reached for only seconds before.  
  
  
  
  
  
Tai, Matt noticed, had gone completely pale and he was holding onto his chair so hard his knuckles were turning white. Tears were formingin his eyes and his lips were quivering with either fear or happiness. "Matt! I am so proud of you!! I always knew you had to have a heart under all that bad-boy image!!!" cried Tai, letting go of his chair and reaching across their table to pat Matt's shoulders. The people around them began to turn their heads towards the two friends once more, but this time weren't met with a glare.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh Matt! I am so sorry I ever doubted you! But you're going to have to forget about Mimi and find someone else to set your heart on because she's already taken. Now, I know it may be hard at first, but remember, I'm always here if you need anything...." Tai's voice became a soft whisper as Matt delved into his thoughts once more.  
  
  
  
  
  
His mind was swimming as he began realising what he had been missing all along. He had been watching Mimi all that week for any signs of a change of heart, but nothing had happened. He knew the spell wasn't yet complete, but he still figured that she would show at least a couple of signs....' I can't believe this...' he thought, still confused and becoming angrier every second, 'Sora lied to me! She said she'd help me get Mimi but really the spell was her way of getting me!'  
  
  
  
Matt's mind suddenly flashed back to all the times Sora would appear from out of nowhere in the school and his palms would become clammy just seeing her. Then to the few times he was heading to the magic shop, his stomach doing flip-flops just from thinking she was there, waiting for him. It wasn't Mimi he had those reactions around- it was Sora.  
  
  
  
  
  
Matt didn't belive in real love, therefore artificial was the only way he saw his feelings. After all, how can you fall in 'love' this quickly anyway? Matt gripped the table, furious that Sora had done this to him, his knuckles were becoming as white as Tai's.  
  
  
  
  
  
"...Matt...Matt...Are you alright?" Tai's voice brought him back to reality and he let go of the table, jerking it away from him forcefully and getting up from his seat just as fast, making it fall down behind him. Tai's eyes filled with concern as he watched his friend's demeanor change from soft and quiet to harsh and abrupt.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Matt, maybe you should sit back down...People are starting to stare..." Matt, however, ignored Tai's words of protest and stared down at him coldly. Tai, who was still seated, couldn't help but shudder under his friend's gaze. The people that had been watching the twosome the entire time all turned away and pretended to ignore the entire exchange, each hoping that they wouldn't be noticed.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Don't say anything about this to anyone, got that?" whispered Matt harshly. Tai just nodded his head dumbly before Matt turned on his heel and left the large room, leaving everyone stunned and unable to contain their whispers. Tai himself just sat back in his chair, firmly shutting his eyes and whispering "I am so sorry...Sora"  
  
  
  
~~~~~Meanwhile...~~~~~  
  
  
  
"What do you think Sora? Is it me or what?" Aiko was standing in front of the drama room's full length mirror, admiring herself and the witch's hat she had found in a costume trunk a few metters away- the same one Sora was sitting on.  
  
  
  
  
  
The drama room was a large- almost as big as the cafeteria -with a whole bunch of little changing rooms and a studio in it. I say its all one room because all of the walls forming the other little rooms were made only of pink floral curtains. The drama teacher had said that it was to bring out 'creativity' when he had told the janitor his plan for the room, but, of course, some people still didn't like the idea that anyone could just walk into their tiny curtained cubicle while they were changing into their costumes.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sora, hellooo...Earth to Sora...Are you awake or do you sleep with your eyes open too?" Sora quickly looked up at her friend and threw a flowered hat about the same colour as the curtains at her. The hat hit Aiko square in the head, making her frown. "Hey Sor, you should be more careful. Its all fun and games until someone loses an eye"  
  
  
  
  
  
Aiko had at first, as I said before, been kinda afraid of Sora after finding out about her hidden power. But over time she realised that the time Sora used her powers against people (with the exception of Ohayo) pigs would probably sprout wings, or at least learn how to ride a broomstick.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aiko, what do you think of Matt Ishida?" asked Sora out-of-the-blue, looking down as she did so and avoiding her friend's gaze. But Sora could almost feel Aiko smirk and her eyes fill with playfulness. "Well Sora, I really don't know...Is there any specific reason you want to know...?" Aiko's voice was dripping with sweetness, but there was also an underlying tone of expectancy in it.  
  
  
  
  
  
"You know exactly why I'm asking you Aiko....Please don't make this any harder than it already is" Sora spoke in annoyance, but there was a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks that made her look down once again.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Well at school when he's with his friends I personally think he's a total asshole" Sora stared at her friend, shocked that she had sworn "Oh come on Sora, its just a word" Sora recovered enough to ask, "So you think he's bad news...."  
  
  
  
  
  
Aiko couldn't help but relish in the tone of voice Sora was using. She always loved having the upper hand. "I wasn't finished yet Sora" she said, trying to seem slightly perturbed but failing miserably. "I was just going to say he's very...uhh...rude when he's with his friends, but when he's on his own- like at the Magic Shop -he's not that bad" Sora smiled at her friend, clearly relieved.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Thats good, because I think I may be getting a tiny crush on him..." Sora was cut of as Aiko snorted, trying to hold her laughter in. "What's so funny Aiko? I'm trying to be totally serious here" Sora began tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for Aiko to regain herself.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sor, if you want to be serious than start off with the truth. Now tell me this: do you honestly believe that what you have is just the beginning of a 'little' crush? Or are you really that blind?" Sora just raised her eyebrow and looked at her friend curiously. "I must really be that 'blind', because I honestly don't see what you're getting at here Aiko."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh come off it Sora! You really don't see how much you like him?....Maybe even love hi-" Aiko was cut off in mid-sentence as Sora stood up from her seat on the costume trunk and looked Aiko straight in the eye, all playfulness leaving both of them for the moment.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Did you just say the 'L' word? My ears must be failing me...How could you even think that I could ever possibly love him?!" Her voice was the smallest whisper, but Aiko heard her clearly and shook her head. "Sora, why else do you think you haven't been able to sleep without dreaming about him, to spend one minute without thinking about him...Its love. Its the same horrible yet wonderful disease that your mother is suffereing from, only you're the lucky one"  
  
  
  
  
  
"And how is that?" asked Sora, crossing her arms and biting her tongue in an effort to keep from crying out. Sora thought back to her mother and how much she seemed to love Ohayo...such a terrible, traicherous person. Aiko continued, "You're the lucky one because I know for a fact that Yamato a.k.a. Matt Ishida feels the same way about you that you do about him"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, Aiko...I would love to believe you...But how can I? Matt hasn't- and won't -call off his spell to make Mimi his because he loves his popularity more than anything else in this world" stated Sora bitterly "And I know that for a fact" Aiko shook her head once more, this time smiling.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sora, even if he won't call off his spell, you'll find out he loves you more than any of his popularity. And anyway, how are you going to handle the last part of the spell now that you know what you feel? You know as well as I do what the spell calls for, and I, personally, don't think you will be able to control the temptation." Sora smiled through the tears that had been forming in her eyes.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Don't worry about that Aiko. I've got someone on the inside" She looked wistfully towards one of the roses on the paterened curtains and vanished before Aiko's eyes, leaving the other girl thoroughly confused.  
  
  
  
~~~~The End of Chapter #5~~~~  
  
  
  
A/N: How was that? I added a bit of Sora's thoughts in there for you guys, I hope you liked it! Please review and tell me what you think and I'll hopefully talk to you all in the next chapter! Bye for now, -minda 


	6. Secret Friends and a Crest

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon....*sigh*  
  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
  
  
"I-I didn't know...If I had, I would never have said anything. Who would have thought that he disbelieved in love so much that he'd blame it all on a spell..." Sora's eyes grew at Tai's words and she could scarcely control the rapid pace of her heart. "Are you saying...I mean, you think he may actually be...In love with me?"  
  
  
  
  
Tai and Sora, mortal enemies during school hours and friends for the remainder of the time, were standing in the alley behind the Magic Shop. It was dark and narrow, perfect for a secret meeting. The smell, though, was something that they had had to get used to ever since these meetings had started, seeing as this was where all the shops around the area piled their garbage to await pick-up. It was also home to much of Odaiba's rodent population.  
  
  
  
  
"Isn't that what I just said? I really don't feel like explaining it twice. Do you have anything to eat? I'm starving" Tai rubbed his stomach for effect, knowing that Sora always had something to snack on and hoping this would make her share it. He knew her too well.  
  
  
  
  
Breaking off a piece of her peanut butter sandwich, Sora spoke again. Her voice sounded a little less sure of itself than was usual. "So you're saying that Matt thinks I put the love spell on him only because it doesn't seem to be working on Mimi? He must really believe it has to work....I guess I should've told him the catch before we started, but I really doubt he'd've believed me"  
  
  
  
  
"So what was the catch?" asked Tai between mouthfuls of the sandwich. Sora had trouble hearing what he said, but after he repeated it about five more times, she got it. "The catch was that if Mimi was already head-over-heels in love with someone, the spell would not work: simple as that. Obviously she was if she hasn't shown any signs that she even likes Matt in the slightest."  
  
  
  
  
"YES!" Shouted Tai, spitting parts of his sandwich all over the ground. Sora stared at her 'occasional' friend in confusion. "You mean you don't want Matt to get Mimi...but I thought you were his friend?" She moved a step to her left to lean on the brick wall of the building next to her and crossed her arms, waiting for Tai's answer.  
  
  
  
  
"Don't get me wrong, of course we're friends and all...But I would feel real sorry for Mimi and Joe if their relationship were ruined by a one-night stand- and on account of a love-spell no less! I'm sorry, but thats just cruel" Sora smiled despite herself. At times like these, when she saw Tai did have emotions like the rest of us, she couldn't help but feel glad they were somewhat friends.  
  
  
  
  
"Stop smiling, it makes a poor guy like me go weak at the knees!" Sora blushed lightly at this and couldn't help remembering (as if she had forgotten) what Tai had just said about Matt. Aiko had helped, no, pushed, her into realizing earlier that day what she really felt for the blonde-haired teenager, but it still felt awkward to think of them...together.  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, don't give me that look!" Tai moved to stand before Sora, arms crossed over his chest and an expression ressembling exasperation on his face. He rolled his eyes as Sora looked at him, giving him a crooked smile. "What 'look' are you talking about? I don't give 'looks', I give threats" Her eyes blazed with fire and were extinguished so quickly that Tai had to take a double-take to make sure he saw what he did.  
  
  
  
  
"Good, cause that just wouldn't be your style" Tai's casualness with the fact that Sora was a witch was only due to the fact that he had found out about her secret when he was just beginning highschool with her. He had been teased because of his goggles and big hair, so he had sought help in witchcraft, and there, at that Magic Shop, both he and Sora had created his popularity potion. He didn't need it anymore of course, Tai had discovered his 'inner charisma' years ago.  
  
  
  
  
"And now you're the expert on my style? Please, I'd just love to know...What is it?" Sora cocked an eyebrow as she positioned herself against the wall more comfortably to hear what was sure to be a very enlightning answer.  
  
  
  
  
"Where to start, where to start...Well, first off, there's that annoying habit of yours to seem better than everyone else..."  
  
  
  
  
"And what has that to do with style?" asked Sora, frowning as she sought the answer to her own question.  
  
  
  
  
"Everything. Now, where was I?" Sora rolled her eyes. Tai had such a short attention span. "Oh, ya. You seem better than everyone else" He began to tick the reasons off on his fingers "You deny your feelings. You push people away from you. You threaten and scare people-"  
  
  
  
  
"I do not! People are scared of me because of the rumors you spread about me!" protested Sora. Tai just shrugged, "Okay" he said "I'll give you that one. But you do threaten people. Like Ohayo. And don't tell me there's a reason for that, because I know he was the one that started it. But you don't have to fuel his hate."  
  
  
  
  
"Well, is that all? I really should be getting back inside now." Sora was annoyed, even a bit angry, at Tai for speaking to her so bluntly. She wasn't used to people being so opinionated around her and she made no moves to hide her aggravation.  
  
  
  
  
"Okay, but Sora, please don't be mad at me for saying those 'true' things. I hate it when you're mad at me...It makes me feel so guilty, and I'm sure you have nothing to do with that feeling" Sora let a small smile play across her lips as she looked up at her friend mysteriously and whispered "I'm not mad" in his ear before casually walking towards the Shop's back door and disappearing inside.  
  
  
  
  
"Matt...you are so lucky..." said Tai quietly before leaving the protected cover of darkness and moving into the noisy streets of the city, carefully avoiding any of the questionning glances that the occasional bystander would give him for coming out of the well reknowned 'witchcraft' alley.  
  
  
  
~~~~~~Inside the Magic Shop (10 minutes later)~~~~~~  
  
  
  
"Aiko, would you hand me that crystal ball over there in the corner? I have to make sure Ohayo isn't going to interrupt Matt and I during the final part of our spell" Aiko poked her head around the corner of the counter seconds later, her eyes flashing mischieviously.  
  
  
  
  
"I thought the spell wasn't going to work, why are you going to finish it?" asked Aiko, standing up from the floor and dusting the dirt off of her pants with both her hands. Her eyes never moved from Sora, or the blush that had recently stained her friends' cheeks.  
  
  
  
  
"I think that what I do with my clients is my own business, don't you? Anyway, thats beside the point." Sora turned around toward the table that had been behind her and began to mix the ingredients she had piled their after coming in from the alley. Aiko crossed her arms and frowned. "What exactly is the point, Sor?"  
  
  
  
  
"Again, I really believe its none of your business" Sora hadn't turned around as she spoke, but Aiko could practically feel her friends face heat up even more and she smirked, finally realizing the thing she had been missing out on. "You're going to test him, aren't you? To see for yoursef if he really feels how he so obviously does about you."  
  
  
  
  
"I'm pretty sure I don't know what you're talking about" replied Sora, still mixing the ingredients to the potion she had on the table in front of her. She had tried to sound careless, but the quiver in her voice had given her away and she cursed the God who had let her be conceived with such an emotional voice. Aiko laughed. Apparently, Sora had cursed out loud.  
  
  
  
  
"You are so funny sometimes Sor. Did you really think you could hide your feelings from me? You do remember my gift don't you? For joining this wonderful establishment, I received the ability to read emotions as clearly as if they were written out on a piece of paper"   
  
  
  
  
How could Sora have forgotten that! Other than the fact that Aiko seemed to remind her about it everyday, she had also recieved a 'gift'. The Crest of Love. Ha! What good had it done her so far? She sighed inwardly as she felt for the trinket that hung around her neck both day and night. 'A symbol of your loyalty to us, the Sisters, we will give you this crest to treasure and never be removed so long as you live. Never forget your pledge.' Thats what they had said. Thats what would remain embeded in Sora's mind forever. The final words to seal her life's sentence.  
  
  
  
  
"Sora! Sora! Are you there? Oh no....Sora!" Aiko screamed her name so loudly that all of the animals within a ten mile radius began answering her, in their own way. This was what brought Sora back down to reality, that and the fact that Aiko had begun prying open her fingers to catch a glimpse of her crest.  
  
  
  
  
"Aiko! What do you think you're doing!? Let go of that!" barked Sora, staring viciously at the top of her friend's dark head. Among being opinionated, Sora didn't much like people intruding in her 'personal bubble' either.  
  
  
  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry Sora." appologised Aiko, looking up guiltily to meet her friend's eyes. "I just thought that...Well, you seemed a bit out of it, and you were holding your crest so I thought that maybe you may have....-"  
  
  
  
  
"Committed suicide?" whispered Sora breathlessly, she looked at her friend with tears piercing her eyes. "Aiko, I know I may be depressed occasionally, but never, ever, think that I would do something so stupid as kill myself! I mean...I just can't even imagine why you would think that!" It was Aiko's turn to blush as she shrugged and turned back towards the counter, her hair covering most of her porcelain face.  
  
  
  
  
"Aiko..." said Sora softly before her friend had reached her destination. Aiko turned but kept her eyes on the ground- she was ashamed. "Aiko, I just want to say...Thank you."  
  
  
  
  
"Thank you for what?"  
  
  
  
  
"For caring so much" A single tear fell down Sora's cheek as she pressed her fingers against the crest once more. She wiped the tear away with her other hand as she smiled, pointing towards the corner of the room with the crystal ball. "Aren't you supposed to be getting that?" Aiko just smiled in return.  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~The End of Chapter #6~~~~~  
  
  
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long and I hope you weren't too disappointed, but I couldn't put any Matt and Sora stuff in here cause I'm saving it for the next (maybe last) chapter. I'm finished my exams (thank God) so the next part should be out soon, remember to look out for it! Till then, -minda 


	7. Strongest Witch

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon....*sigh*  
  
  
  
  
The Magic Shop  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Wow....He looks a bit....Upset"  
  
  
  
  
Sora and Aiko were crowded around the crystal ball, each staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the scene that was replaying itself for the fifth time before their eyes. The crystal ball was glowing a brilliant shade of orange around the edges because of over-use, and Sora herself was begining to sweat from the exertion of keeping the spell up for this long.  
  
  
  
  
"What do you think happened to make him this...cranky?" Aiko eyed Sora carefully next to her, before looking back at the now blazing orange ball. "I really wouldn't call this kind of behaviour cranky Sor. It looks more like an insanely mad temper tantrum to me." Aiko said this just as the crystal ball showed Ohayo lift his mahogany desk with his own strength and magic and sent it flying across the room and out the window of his 18-storey appartment.  
  
  
  
  
"Maybe we should stop the replays...I'm getting a bit drained." Aiko looked Sora over and nodded. She then watched as Sora let her hands, which had been previously placed just above the magic ball fall to her sides. The image of Ohayo and his ransacked appartment faded immediately after and the orange tinge began to disappear.  
  
  
  
  
"What could have made him so mad?" Sora asked again, eyes still locked to the crystal ball. "I don't know...But I have to say I have never seen him so angry before. The Sisters are going to have to stop him before he makes too much of a scene and attracts any unwanted attention." Sora smiled at the thought, it was about time someone had a word with him.  
  
  
  
  
"Thats all nice and everything, but I still want to know what happe-" Sora was cut of when a voice came from the doorway of their shop. It was filled with pain and regret but it held strength. "I let him go" said the voice.  
  
  
  
  
"Mom? What are you talking about?" Aiko quietly and discreetely backed away into the other room. She didn't want to interrupt what was sure to be a heart-to-heart, mother-daughter talk.   
  
  
  
  
"I let him go Sora. I realized that he only wanted me for my part of this shop, and that it was all he loved. He only wanted my possesions. Oh Sora...I'm so blind! Will you ever forgive me?" Sora looked at her mother curiously. This had come straight out of the blue, she didn't know how to handle it. She watched her mother's dark eyes fill with tears, watched as she swept her chestnut hair out of face and as her graceful form slumped a bit lower than usual.  
  
  
  
  
"Oh Mom...Don't be sorry. When..How did you find out about his love for possesions? It wasn't from me- was it?" Her mother shook her head slowly, she seemed a bit unsure of herself. She then moved over to a nearby chair and sat down, unawares of the amount of dust that would be found on her pants afterwards. Sora walked over to her mother and kneeled on the ground nearby, staring up at her reassuringly.  
  
  
  
  
"Don't feel bad mom. He's the one that should be hitting himself for being so stupid as to let you get away." Sora considered telling her about the scene she had just witnessed in the crystal ball only moments before, but decided against it after remembering that her mother had once forbidden her from spying on people.  
  
  
  
  
"Do you need anything?" The words broke Sora's lips in a whisper, piercing the silence that had taken up residence in the room. "No, but thank you. I just wanted to tell you the news. Its kind of funny actually, I am upset, but not as much as I thought I would be. Maybe its because I know this is all for the best." She sighed and straightened herself on the chair. "Life goes on" She said quietly, fixing her gaze on a pile of boxes on the other side of the room.  
  
  
  
  
"That it does mom, that it does." replied Sora, unable to contain the happiness in her voice. Her mother shot her a looked that ressembled annoyed, but looked more pleased than anything. "You haven't been down here in months mom, does the place look any different?" Her mother moved her head so she could take in the entire room, piles and everything.   
  
  
  
  
"I think I'm going to be busy for the next few days" she replied, frowning at a spider that was scuttling across the floor before them. "Busy doing what?" asked Sora, still feeling the wave of happiness that had broken over her the moment her mom had said that she and Ohayo were no longer an 'item'.  
  
  
  
  
"I hadn't realized this place was so disorganized...I'll have to fix that. Maybe I'll start studying magic again too. I don't know how you ever got so ahead of me, you made the oath at the same time I did. But I guess lately my time's been spent mostly on...other things. I still can't believe you're a Crimson eye...And me still only Hazel...Oh well, its as good a time as any to start catching up!" Her mother then looked around the room once more, sweeping her eyes over everything. "Where to start, where to start..." she mumbled before getting up and making her way over to the nearest pile of boxes. She tripped twice over various things before reaching her destination.  
  
  
  
  
Sora laughed quietly watching her mother in action. She could find a flee on a dog if she set her mind to it. But now with Ohayo forgotten, she had a lot more free time to work. Sora then began quietly to back out of the room, intent on not getting called upon to help with the cleaning. She could, of course, easily clean this place magically- but her mother didn't go for the easy way out, and that had passed itself onto her daughter as well.  
  
  
  
  
Sora suddenly felt a hand wrap around her wrist before she felt the tug that pulled her past the curtain and into the back room. Her eyes travelled up the arm and to the face of its owner. "Tai?! What are you doing back here?" Sora sputtered out the question as quickly as humanly possible and began to wait for his reply, silently noting how nervous he seemed to be from his sweaty palms to the scared look on his face.  
  
  
  
  
"Sorry if I'm bothering you...But this is important. I think Matt is going to kill you." Her first impulse was to laugh, not because he wouldn't dare to kill her- because she thought he would given the right motivation- but because she could destroy him before he even reached the door to the shop.  
  
  
  
  
"Tai..." spoke Sora calmly "Why do you think Matt might want to kill me?" Tai looked straight into her eyes and spoke softly, as if he didn't want anyone to hear even if there was no one else in the room. With the exception of Aiko, who was in the far corner of the room pretending not to be noticed. But she already knew what Tai was going to say anyway, Sora could tell.  
  
  
  
  
"Remember I said that Matt was a bit peeved when he thought you put the spell on him....Well, I may have been a bit wrong when I said that. It seems he may be a bit more than just annoyed...Like maybe, vengeful, angry, and prepared to commit mass murder. I don't think he likes to be double-crossed very much, but its just an assumption." Sora could almost feel Aiko roll her eyes on the other side of the room and she laughed despite herself. "Its not funny Sora, I'm trying to be serious here!"  
  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry Tai...I guess I just don't see you as a serious kind of person." answered Sora solenmly, biting her lip to hold back the laughter that was once again surfacing in her throat. "Well you better start!" snapped Tai angrily "Because Matt's on his way here right now and I don't think its going to be a social call." Sora didn't seem that surprised or upset by the news that Matt, someone she felt she was falling in love with, was coming over to do her in. This was because of his motivation. If he didn't feel strongly for her, then he wouldn't bother with her.  
  
  
  
  
"When do you suppose he'll get here?" asked Sora, not really paying attention. Her thoughts were whipped quickly back to reality, however, when the curtain behind her moved to the side to emit into the room the person they had just been talking about. Matt gave a sudden cry of outburst: "Sora, we need to talk!" Before the innevitable, "Tai?! What the hell are you doing here?"  
  
  
  
  
"One thing at a time please." said Sora reasonably, regaining herself from the sudden appearance of the all-famous Matt "So what would you like to do first: Talk with me or find out why Tai's here?" Matt's face became red with anger. "I would like to know why Tai is here?" he said through gritted teeth. He reminded the others of a tiger in a cage, ready to inflict serious pain on the person who put him there.  
  
  
  
  
"Tai, would you like to take this one?" Sora stepped to the side so Tai and Matt could have a good look at each other, winking to Aiko as she did so.   
  
  
  
  
"W-Well Matt...I've known Sora, here, for a long time" he sputtered, looking at the floor. At this moment, he seemed much smaller than Matt.  
  
  
  
  
"That does not answer my question Taichi" said Matt angrily, glaring at both Sora and Tai. Neither Tai nor Matt had realized that Aiko was in the room with them as well, but that was all for the best at the moment.  
  
  
  
  
"Fine. But I don't see why I have to explain myself to you. I met Sora when we were just beginning highschool. I guess you could say she kind of...helped me out." Tai looked up to meet Matt's glare with an equally cold one. He had been working on it while his hung towards the ground and it finally seemed ready to test.  
  
  
  
  
"Thats really nice and all Tai, but I don't believe you. Why would you be so cruel to her if you guys were friends?" Tai's glare seemed to be working, because Matt's voice sounded a bit less edgy than it had before.  
  
  
  
  
"I don't see you being any more nicer to her since she started making that spell for you. You still pretend she isn't part of our world and completely ignore her at school. Don't feel bad though, I understand it completely. But maybe you better explain why you ignore her to...Well, her." Tai indicated towards Sora, who frowned at him and stuck out her tongue. "Way to change the subject Taichi" she whispered to him, too softly for Matt to hear.  
  
  
  
  
"I don't have to explain anything to you!" hissed Matt, rounding on Sora while his anger built up once more "You tricked me, I thought I could trust you! But there you go and stab me in the back....I thought I could count on your cooperation!"  
  
  
  
  
"To what? Cooperate with you for what? To get a girl to want you for one night, only to toss her aside the next? Well, I know what you think, and I did not put a spell on you. I have no reason to. I can see why Mimi dislikes you so much now." Matt was taken aback. It was one thing to hear Sora say she disliked him, but to add Mimi into the bargain just showed how much she really thought of him. It hurt more than he would have liked.  
  
  
  
  
"Listen Matt...I don't approve of what you're doing, but because you are a paying customer I'm willing to finish the spell. Although I'll tell you right now about the one catch that I should have explained to you before we started: If Mimi is already in love, then this spell will not work. Do you understand that?"  
  
  
  
  
"There is no such thing as true love" answered Matt gruffly, and as if to make Sora pay for what she said, he nodded his head. "Lets finish this spell. Tai, go home"  
  
  
  
  
Sora turned her attention on Tai, who seemed to want to stay and either watch what happened or protect his friend from Matt's wrath. "You can go Tai, I'll be fine." As she said this, Sora's eyes blazed brightly with fire and Tai, reluctantly, had to admit that he could do nothing for her that she couldn't do alone. As Tai turned on his heel and began walking to the door, Sora remembered to call over her shoulder: "You can leave now too, Aiko". Aiko then stepped out of the shadows and opened the back door. Tai stared after her dark figure dumbly, but kept on moving until both he and she were out the door and out of sight. The back door then clicked shut.  
  
  
  
  
Sora and Matt had been glaring at each other the entire time, unblinking. They were in a competition and it was obvious who the winner would be when a piece of dust landed on Matt's dark lashes. Neither had realized what the were doing until he blinked and had brought both their minds back down to earth.  
  
  
  
  
"Let's get this over with then." said Sora softly, not completely convinced that she wouldn't say anything to make Matt think that she had feelings for him. A voice in the back of her mind kept whispering 'He's gonna know...He's gonna know...' but Sora ignored it. Her heartbeat had increased since she and Matt had been left alone and she had become a bit more self-concious concerning her actions, but she didn't seem to mind.  
  
  
  
  
Matt watched as Sora turned to her left and headed over towards the table he had begun to call 'theirs'. She spoke the word that disengaged the protection spell. He still couldn't decipher what it might be. Sora then reached for the mini-cauldron that had been moved to the middle of the dusty table and snatched the cup that had seemed to appear out of nowhere and was dangling in mid-air. It was more of a goblet than a cup, and it was kind of hard to describe. It seemed to be made of space itself, with little stars flickering in the blackness of it. If there had been no tiny flecks of flickering light, Matt would have thought that it had been made of nothing. It was without a doubt magical.  
  
  
  
  
Sora then reached for the spoon-looking thing sticking out of the cauldron and lifted it out carefully, keeping the dark liquid carefully in the dipper. She poured it into the goblet slowly and once it was full, she put the spoon back into the cauldron. She then lifted the goblet up so that it was held out in front of both her and Matt, who was facing her. "Now do you want the first sip, or should I try it before you?" Matt just looked at her, confused. "Why do you need to have some? Shouldn't it be Mimi? Maybe you should explain what we're gonna have to do now...."  
  
  
  
  
Sora looked reluctant at first, but only because she thought Matt would refuse to follow through if she did. This was the part of the spell she had been looking forward to, the part where she would find out for sure if she meant as much to Matt as he did to her. "After drinking this, we're going to have to kiss. Remember, you can back out any time"  
  
  
  
  
Matt's mouth dropped to the ground as she said this and he made no move to hide his surprise, or his consent for that matter, when he answered "Of course I'm not going to back out! ...What does kissing you have to do with any of this anyway?" He looked down as he said this, it was as if he were embarrassed about asking such a strange question that Sora would no doubt know the answer to. He had lost his angry edge ages ago and was now just enjoying being in the other girl's presence.  
  
  
  
  
"To make the spell work, we have just one more ingredient to add: a spark of passion. I have discovered over time that the best way to get this is to kiss. It works every time." replied Sora happily. She seemed pleased with herself at her discovery.  
  
  
  
  
"The only reason it works is because men can't resist you..." muttered Matt quietly. But unfortunately for him, Sora overhead this and laughed. "What kind of men can't resist me? I'd love to know, because I obviously haven't met them yet." Matt just shrugged as a light blush stained his cheeks. As soon as he felt the heat on his face he cast his head downwards and pretended that something on the floor had caught his attention.   
  
  
  
  
Sora watched him with interest for a few moments before shaking her head to clear her thoughts and coming back to the task at hand. "So are you gonna try this first, or will I have the pleasure?" Matt looked up then, the blush had disappeared and now he was on full alert. "There isn't anything poisonous in that..." he looked into the cauldron and shuddered "...stuff, is there?" Sora just shook her head, laughing lightly. "Do I have a reason to poison you?" she asked.  
  
  
  
  
Matt cocked an eyebrow and looked at her seriously. "Do you?" he whispered. Sora once more shook her head in reply and Matt relaxed a little, letting his shoulders sag.   
  
  
  
  
"Oh, before we take a sip of this lovely substance, I guess I should explain this a bit more. Nothing will happen after you drink this, except maybe a bad aftertaste and it may coat your throat. Anyway, we'll only have 30 seconds to kiss before the spell wears off. While we're doing that, kissing I mean, we'll both need to keep one hand each- your right, my left - on the goblet. Remember, if either of us lifts our hand off of this goblet, the spell will not work. Do you understand?" Matt nodded quickly. "If its okay with you then, I'll take the first sip"  
  
  
  
  
Sora brought the cup to her lips as Matt watched, completely entranced with every move she made. After taking a sip from the goblet, it took all of her strength not to gag as the thick liquid swam slowly downwards, coating her throat as it went. She quickly passed the cup to Matt and he took a quick swig. He, unfortunatly, gagged on the liquid and they had to wait until he regained himself before finishing the spell for once and all.  
  
  
  
  
"Ready?" gasped Sora, still a bit unsteady after drinking the potion. Matt couldn't answer, so he nodded. They both moved a step closer to one another. The world seemed to stop as their eyes locked. Both of their hands quickly reached out towards the goblet that had been put back down on the table and then they moved one final step to stand only centimeters apart...then......  
  
  
  
  
Matt leaned into the final distance to meet Sora's lips. He had only meant it to be a tiny peck, but after the first taste of her he couldn't help himself. Both of their eyes closed and their free hands wrapped around one another. Matt began to feel a bit light-headed...something that had never happened to him with any other girl before. He liked it. But he suddenly felt Sora begin to pull away. His mind told him to let go too...but right now it wasn't his mind that was in control. He bit Sora's lip, not hard, but enough to show he didn't want her to stop. But still she pulled away and Matt couldn't stop her with only one of his hands....  
  
  
  
  
He lifted his right hand off of the goblet with the knowledge of what effect that would have. In answer, Sora moved back into his embrace. They finished the kiss with both feeling very light-headed, and not due to the fact that they needed air desperately. Both opened their eyes a few minutes later, Sora confused and Matt finally feeling that he had the answers he needed.   
  
  
  
  
"You lifted your hand...The spell isn't going to work." Sora frowned as she said this and tried to sound exasperrated, but it only came out as a breathy whisper. "I know...but...Now I know that doing that would be cruel...no, more than cruel. It would be evil to do that to Mimi and besides, she's already in love."  
  
  
  
  
"But I thought that you didn't believe in...." Sora stopped as Matt put a finger to her lips. "You've changed my mind" Sora smiled at this, she couldn't help herself. Happiness was breaking over her like a wave and she could do nothing but smile.   
  
  
  
  
At the same time she felt something new stir within her, a strange and foreign power that she had never felt before. Realization hit as she began to feel her crest glow. She looked at Matt and he seemed to know exactly what was happening. Sora Takenouchi was now the most powerful witch the world had seen in a long time.  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, Sora!" Aiko called suddenly from the curtained doorway "If you guys are done, could you come and help Tai and me. Your mom recruited us for cleaning duty and I really don't think its fair that we have to do this by ourselves. Especially since it is your mother!"   
  
  
  
  
"Coming!" called Matt, nodding to Aiko. "Ready to go use brooms for what they were made for?" Sora nodded, her smile still in place. They left the room hand-in-hand.  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~THE END~~~~  
  
  
  
A/N: How was it? I'm hoping good....Anyway, since this story is done I'm looking for new ideas so if you have any I'd love to hear them! (Full credit will be given) Remember to look out for my next story and this is minda, signing out! :) 


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